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Special Report: Trying to live, trying to learn

By The Denver Post

Posted:
08/20/2014 04:43:22 PM MDT

Updated:
08/22/2014 11:50:35 AM MDT

Thousands of Colorado schoolchildren are homeless under federal education law, living in motels, shelters and other families' bedrooms and basements. They bounce from school to school as their families move across the city.

The ranks of these "invisibly homeless" are growing, as a tough economy puts pressure on families. The number of homeless schoolchildren in this state has more than tripled in a decade, climbing above 23,000.

The repercussions are profound.

Homeless children fall behind in class each time they change schools, research has shown. They are far more likely to suffer abuse and neglect than other children, and their dropout rates in high school are markedly higher than those of their peers.

In a special report, The Denver Post tells the stories of two homeless families, 10 children between them, struggling to find stable homes and stop their children from falling further behind.

Rockies are on pace to lose 93 games this seasonThe Rockies lost three of four in St. Louis and are on pace to lose 93 games as they come home for a three-game series with Seattle before going back on the road again to face Washington.